January 18, 2013
All set up. Turns out that pickguard is lighter than I intended- I ordered ‘parchment’ when I should have ordered ‘cream.’ I like the effect though, it really pops the Olympic white body. Now to plug it in!

All set up. Turns out that pickguard is lighter than I intended- I ordered ‘parchment’ when I should have ordered ‘cream.’ I like the effect though, it really pops the Olympic white body. Now to plug it in!

4:36pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wc3ukIR
(Notes: 15)
  
Filed under: fender strat stratocaster custom pickups wiring modded olympic white 
January 18, 2013
New plate, wired up. Can’t wait to see how these pickups sound. Those brown bobbins are Garolite—a little stiffer and thicker than the traditional vulcanized fiberboard. Milled them out on my cnc router. The bridge pickup has a grounded steel backing plate-first time trying one of those. I also included a 500pf/220k ohm treble bleed circuit. Tone cap is .01uf orange drop, volume/tone pots are 250k and 500k Bourns PDA-24s, respectively.

New plate, wired up. Can’t wait to see how these pickups sound. Those brown bobbins are Garolite—a little stiffer and thicker than the traditional vulcanized fiberboard. Milled them out on my cnc router. The bridge pickup has a grounded steel backing plate-first time trying one of those.

I also included a 500pf/220k ohm treble bleed circuit. Tone cap is .01uf orange drop, volume/tone pots are 250k and 500k Bourns PDA-24s, respectively.

3:57pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wc3j2sF
(Notes: 3)
  
Filed under: custom guitar pickups 
January 14, 2013
New pickups for my strat. 10K bridge, 9.5K middle (counterwound) and 9K neck, all 43 gauge wire and .710” Alnico V magnets. Now just waiting on new pots from Mouser!

New pickups for my strat. 10K bridge, 9.5K middle (counterwound) and 9K neck, all 43 gauge wire and .710” Alnico V magnets. Now just waiting on new pots from Mouser!

5:29pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wbmszBO
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: custom guitar pickups 
January 13, 2013
Taped and wax-potted.

Taped and wax-potted.

10:29am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wbfq7G9
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: custom guitar pickup 
January 13, 2013
I did something dumb, and broke the bridge pickup on the last guitar I finished. So I made a new one. 11,500 turns of 43AWG. Hottest pickup I’ve ever wound! Measures 11.5k ohms, should sound like a strat pickup wound with 42AWG to 8.6k ohms, following the 75% rule. Still pretty hot.

I did something dumb, and broke the bridge pickup on the last guitar I finished. So I made a new one. 11,500 turns of 43AWG. Hottest pickup I’ve ever wound! Measures 11.5k ohms, should sound like a strat pickup wound with 42AWG to 8.6k ohms, following the 75% rule. Still pretty hot.

1:16am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wbeSVkZ
(Notes: 4)
  
Filed under: custom guitar pickup 
January 12, 2013
Set up and ready to send.

Set up and ready to send.

11:07am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wbaZuvY
(Notes: 6)
  
Filed under: custom guitar sapele beauchene implements maple pao ferro 
January 10, 2013
Wrapping up some projects before we pack up and move. Finally getting around to winding some pickups for my Strat—the covers get a fun little detail.

Wrapping up some projects before we pack up and move. Finally getting around to winding some pickups for my Strat—the covers get a fun little detail.

8:56pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wbTIq3g
(Notes: 7)
  
Filed under: strat custom pickups beauchene implements acorn guitar 
December 31, 2012
Guitar I put together out of all the prototype parts I had laying around; the Sapele body is the very first one I successfully cut out on my CNC router. It is also the first time I used celluloid binding, and sprayed nitrocellulose. The body is much thinner than the later ones—No scale handy, but this guitar feels like less than 5 pounds. It feels like a hollowbody. Neck is birdseye maple with a Pao Ferro fretboard. Alnico V pickups, 8.5k and 7.5k, bridge and neck respectively. 3-way switch, 250k volume and tone pot, .022uF orange drop cap. Just waiting on tuners and a bridge to arrive. This one’s spoken for.

Guitar I put together out of all the prototype parts I had laying around; the Sapele body is the very first one I successfully cut out on my CNC router. It is also the first time I used celluloid binding, and sprayed nitrocellulose. The body is much thinner than the later ones—No scale handy, but this guitar feels like less than 5 pounds. It feels like a hollowbody. Neck is birdseye maple with a Pao Ferro fretboard. Alnico V pickups, 8.5k and 7.5k, bridge and neck respectively. 3-way switch, 250k volume and tone pot, .022uF orange drop cap. Just waiting on tuners and a bridge to arrive. This one’s spoken for.

12:23am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wabI-K-
(Notes: 6)
  
Filed under: custom guitar sapele pao feero cnc 
November 5, 2012
Gluing a fretboard to a neck. I usually go the plethora-of-clamps route, but I thought I’d try this instead, simple electrical tape, stretched tight. Seems to apply even, firm pressure, just a little squeezeout. Since the fingerboard and neck back are already radiused, this is easier, as clamps tend to roll to one side or the other. The alignment is set with index dowels, so no worries about lateral movement. I use System Three T-88 epoxy almost exclusively in guitar building. CA glue for some occasional things, Sometimes Titebond 1 if I’m out of epoxy :)

Gluing a fretboard to a neck. I usually go the plethora-of-clamps route, but I thought I’d try this instead, simple electrical tape, stretched tight. Seems to apply even, firm pressure, just a little squeezeout. Since the fingerboard and neck back are already radiused, this is easier, as clamps tend to roll to one side or the other. The alignment is set with index dowels, so no worries about lateral movement. I use System Three T-88 epoxy almost exclusively in guitar building. CA glue for some occasional things, Sometimes Titebond 1 if I’m out of epoxy :)

10:55pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wWiVEr-
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: custom guitar neck 
October 7, 2012
Need to source some tiny black screws. But that’s the gist.

Need to source some tiny black screws. But that’s the gist.

2:07am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wUouN2j
(Notes: 3)
  
Filed under: custom guitar acorn truss rod cover headstock beauchene implements 
September 9, 2012
New neck, fretted! Now to get ready for spray.

New neck, fretted! Now to get ready for spray.

10:53am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wSxHwnX
(Notes: 5)
  
Filed under: cnc guitar mahogany custom 
September 9, 2012
New neck, reverse.

New neck, reverse.

10:52am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wSxIFNm
(Notes: 4)
  
Filed under: cnc guitar mahogany custom 
July 21, 2012
Strings! Now the fiddly work begins.

Strings! Now the fiddly work begins.

4:50pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wPq0l6b
(Notes: 5)
  
Filed under: custom guitar 
July 21, 2012
Wired up. 500k pots, .022uf film cap for tone control.

Wired up. 500k pots, .022uf film cap for tone control.

9:46am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wPooB9Q
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: custom guitar wiring 
July 19, 2012
In addition to making the pickups with opposite winding and polarity, I also shielded the cavities. Hot wound single-coils, trying to keep the noise under control.

In addition to making the pickups with opposite winding and polarity, I also shielded the cavities. Hot wound single-coils, trying to keep the noise under control.

2:19pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Z6f-1wPh6T83
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: custom guitar